Corn-harvester.



T. H. BUTLER & F. M. WIDERMAN.

001m HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED APR-'30, 1008.

* Patented June 22, 1909.

6 SHEETB-BHBBT 1 LVVIi/VTORJ WITNESSES:

k $44M JKTM M w WWW Afforllcy T. H. BUTLER & F. M. WIDERMAN.

GORN HARVESTBR.

APPLIOATION rmzn APR. so, 1908.

925,749; Patented June 22, 1909;

6 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES INVENTORJ M 1 6; W W WJ T. H. BUTLER & M. WIDERMAN.

CORN HARVESTBB.

APPLICATION FILED APR. so, 1908.

925,749. Patented June 22,1909.

Wuwasws: [/VVENTORJ W warm Aflomcy I. H. BUTLER 61; F. M. WIDERMAN.

001m HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 80, 1908.

Patented June 22, 1909'.

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UNITED STATES PATENT FFTDE.

THOMAS H. BUTLER, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, AND FRANCIS M. WIDERMAN, OFNEW YORK, N. Y.

CORN-HARVE STER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, THOMAS H. BUTLER, residing at Baltimore city,Maryland, and FRANCIS M. WIDERMAN, residing at New York city, in theState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments inCorn-Harvesters; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention relates to machines for harvesting corn and separatingthe ears from the leaves and stalks; and it consists in the novelconstruction and combination of the parts hereinafter fully describedand claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of the principal parts of themachine, and

Fig. 1 is a side view of the front end portion of the long spiralconveyer which could not be included in Fig. 1. Fig. 2 is a plan view ofthe principal parts of the machine, and Fig. 2 is a plan view of thefront end portions of the two spiral conveyers. Fig. 3 is a longitudinalsection taken on the line wm in Fig. 2. Fig. 1 is an end view of theprincipal parts of the machine. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the twosnapperrolls. Fig. 6 is a detail end view, and Fig. 7 is a detail planview of one of the spring supports for the yieldable snapper-roll. Fig.8 is a detail plan view of the hinged plate which sup ports theharvesting-saw.

A is the main frame of the machine, a

portion only of which is shown. This frame is mounted on two similarground-wheels a, and is provided with draft connections or attachmentsof any approved construction for drawing it across the corn-field in thedirection of the arrow in Fig. 2. The ground-wheel a is mounted on anaxle Z) and is provided with a toothed drivingwheel B which revolveswith it.

In carrying out this invention one or more motors of approvedconstruction, such as gas engines, may be mounted on the frame to driveany part of the machine, instead of driving all its parts from theground-wheel.

B is a shaft journaled in bearings secured to the frame, and having apinion b secured on it which gears into the driving-wheel B. C is acountershaft arranged longitudinally in the frame A and journaled insuit- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 30, 1908.

I able bearings.

Patented June 22, 1909.

Serial No. 430,132.

The countershaft C has a beveled toothed pinion 0 secured on it which isdriven by a beveled toothed wheel G secured on the shaft B.

A short shaft 2 is journaled in the front part of the frame in bearings3, parallel with the shaft C, and has a sprocket-wheel l secured on it.A drive-chain 5 passes over the wheel l, and over a sprocket-wheel 6secured on the shaft 0.

A is a vertical upright at the front part of the frame A, and 7 is ashort shaft journaled in bearings 8 at its upper end. A sprocket-wheel 9is secured on the shaft 7, and 10 is a drive-chain which passes over thewheel 9 and over a sprocket-wheel 11 secured on the shaft 2.

D is a short spiral conveyer, and E is a long spiral conveyer. These twoconveyers are arranged side by side and are inclined downwardly andforwardly at an angle of about 35 with the horizontal. Their axes arealso arranged at an acute angle with each other so that a convergingpassage D is formed between the conveyers. The short spiral conveyer Dis journaled in bearings (Z secured to the upright A and to a bar Dwhich projects forwardly from the frame A. The long spiral conveyer E isjournaled in bearings e which are secured to an upright E and aprojecting bar 0 both of which are secured to the frame A. The front andlower ends of the two conveyers are arranged to project for about thesame distance at the front of the machine and are arranged a shortdistance above the level of the ground.

The short conveyer D is driven by a beveled toothed wheel 12 which issecured to its upper end portion, and which gears into a beveled toothedwheel 13 which is secured on the shaft 7. The two conveyers are drivenin the same direction as indicated by the curved arrows in Fig. 2.

The long conveyer E is driven by means of a beveled toothed wheel 14.-secured on its upper end portion, which gears into a beveled toothedwheel 15 secured on a short shaft 16, which is journaled in bearings 17at the top of the vertical upright E at the rear part of the frame. Asprocket-wheel 18 is secured on the shaft 16, and 19 is a drivechainwhich passes over the wheel 18 and over a sprocket-wheel 20 secured on ashaft 21. The shaft 21 is journaled in bearings 22 carried by the frameA, and a large sprocketwheel 23 is also secured on the shaft 21.

F is a short shaft journaled in bearings f secured to the frame A. Asprocket-wheel 24 is secured on the shaft F, and 25 is a drivechainwhich passes over the sprocketwheel 24 and over the sprocket-wheel 23 secured on the shaft 21. The short shaft F is driven from the countershaftG by means of a drivechain 27 which passes over a sprocket-wheel 28secured on the countershaft C and over a sprocket-wheel 29 secured onthe shaft F.

G is a spiral conveying-worm provided with a shaft 9 which is journaledin bearings g secured to the frame A. The worm is arranged horizontallyand to the rear of the short spiral conveyer D, but at a much lowerlevel than its upper end portion. The worm is driven by means of adrive-chain 30 which passes over a sprocket-wheel 31 se cured on theworm-shaft g, and over a sprocket-wheel 32 secured on the countershaftC. a

The machine is drawn along so that the two spiral conveyers D and Estraddle the row of corn, and guide-bars 33 and 34 are secured to theframe below the respective conveyers for the plants to pass between.These guidebars may be arranged in any convenient manner, and as many ofthem as desired may be used to guide the corn into the machine to thebest advantage.

H and I are the two snapper-rolls for separating the ears of corn fromthe leaves and stalks. These two rolls are provided with shafts h and 71respectively, and are arranged side by side. The snapper-rolls arearranged in a forwardly and downwardly inclined position and at ananglev of about 45 with the horizontal. The roll H is provided withsharp spiral blades or screwthreads h, and its shaft h is journaled inbearings 35 secured to uprights 36 which project from the frame A. Theroll H is revolved continuously by means of a beveled toothed wheel 37secured on its shaft h, which gears into a beveled toothed wheel 38secured on a vertical shaft 39 which is ournaled in suitable bearings40. A beveled toothed wheel 41 is secured on the lower part of the shaft39and gears into a beveled toothed wheel 42 secured on a short shaft 43.The shaft 43 is journaled in bearings 44 on the frame A, and 45 is adrive-chain which passes over a sprocket-wheel 46 secured on the shaft43 and over a sprocket-wheel 47 secured on the countershaft C.

The snapper-roll I preferably has a smooth periphery, and its shaft 2'is journaled in spring-pressed bearings 48. These bearings are slidablysupported by uprights 49 secured to the frame A, and 50 are the springssecured to the said uprights 49 and arranged to bear on the bearings 48,so that the smooth snapper-roll is pressed toward the roll H with ayielding pressure. The bearings 48 are provided with suitable stops 51which limit the movements of the yieldable roll I;

J is the harvestingsaw which is secured 011 a vertical shaft This saw isarranged in front of the snapper-rolls, below the level of the worm Gand a little to one side'of the center of the converging passage betweenthe two spiral conveyers. The saw shaft j is ournaled in a bracket jwhich is secured to a plate K provided with a long V-shaped notch 76 atits front end. The forked front end of the plate K is pivoted to theframe A by hinges 52. Two similar springs 53 are secured to the frame Aand normally support the hinged plate K in a horizontal position. Therear ends of the springs 53 are operatively connected with the rear partof the plate by links 54.

The harvesting-saw is revolved by means of a bevel toothed wheel 55secured on its shaft j, which gears into a beveled toothed wheel 56secured on a horizontal shaft 57 which is also journaled in the bracketj.

L is a connecting-shaft provided at its ends with universal couplings orjoints 58 of any approved construction which connect itwith the shaft 57and with the short shaft F hereinbefore described.

N are saws for cutting up the leaves and stalks after the ears have beenremoved from them. These saws are secured on a shaft 72 which isarranged longitudinally of the machine and journaled in bearings n onthe frame A. This shaft is arranged in a horizontal plane, between andbelow the snapperrolls, and is driven from the countershaft C. Adrive-chain 60 passes over a sprocketwheel 61 secured on the saw shaft0%, and over a sprocket-wheel 62 secured on the said countershaft C.

P and P areguides secured to the frame of the machine and arranged aboveand below the level of the snapper-rolls respec tively. These guideseach preferably consist of a series of slats secured to the frame attheir upper ends so that their lower ends will spring and yield to alimited extent.

R- is a portion of an elevator of any approved construction supported bythe frame of the machine and driven in any approved manner.

S is a chute which receives the ears of corn from the snapper-rolls anddelivers them to the elevator R. The elevator R delivers the ears ofcorn to a husking-machine which is also supported by the frame A andwhich is the subject-matter of a separate application for LettersPatent.

As the machine is drawn along, the two spiral conveyers engage with theplants and together with the spiral worm deliver them between the twosnapper-rolls. The harvesting-saw cuts through the stalks when theplants are in the converging passage, and the conveyers and the wormbunch the plants together in a flattened form and carry them rearwardlyand downwardly until they are seized by the snapper-rolls.

The snapper-rolls break off the ears of corn, and carry the leaves andstalks downwardly and rearwardly in a crushed mass. This crushed mass iscut up by the saws N into convenient form, and it is either collected ina suitable receptacle, if wanted for any purpose, or is discharged ontothe ground to one side of the machine in a suitable form to be plowedunder subsequently.

The ears of corn are delivered to the elevator R, which is arrangedopposite the upper end portion of the long spiral conveyer, and at therear end of the short spiral conveyer, on the opposite side of thesnapperrolls from the long spiral conveyor. The harvesting-saw is notbroken or torn away by the plants because it and the notched plate aresupported by springs which permit them to move up and down freely.

That we claim is:

1. In a corn-harvester, the combination, with a frame, andguiding-devices arranged at the front part of the frame and forming anentrance passage for the plants; of a spring-supported harvestersawarranged in the said frame below the rear portion of the said passageand free to move up and down vertically, and driving devices forrevolving the said saw.

2. In a corn-harvester, the combination, with a frame, andguiding-devices arranged at the front part of the frame and forming anentrance passage for the plants; of a spring-supported plate carried bythe said frame and arranged below the said passage, said plate beingfree to move up and down and being provided with a longitudinal openingor notch, a harvester-saw supported by the said plate and arrangedacross the rear end portion of the said opening, and driving devices forrevolving the said saw.

3. In a corn-harvester, the combination, with a frame, of two spiralconveyers of different length journaled side by side in the said frame,a spiral worm journaled in the said frame below the rear end of theshorter conveyer and on one side of the vertical plane passing throughthe rear end portion of the longer conveyer, driving devices forrevolving the said conveyers and worm, and a harvester-saw journaled inthe said frame below the said worm.

4. In a corn-harvester, the combination, with a frame, of guidingdevices for the plants supported by the said frame and forming arearwardly converging passage, a harvesting-saw arranged below thesmaller end of the said passage, a springpressed sup port for the saidsaw pivoted to the said frame and free to move up and down, and drivingdevices for revolving the said saw.

5. In a corn-harvester, the combination, with a frame, of guidingdevices for the plants supported by the said frame and forming arearwardly converging passage, a plate having a long V-shaped notch openin front and having its front end pivoted to the said frame, a springsupporting the rear part of the said plate, a harvesting-saw supportedby the rear part of the said plate and free to move up and down with it,and driving devices for revolving the said saw.

(5. In a corn-harvester, the combination, with a frame, of guidingdevices for the plants supported by the said frame and forming arearwardly converging passage, a plate pivoted at its front end to thesaid frame, a spring supporting the rear part of the said plate, abracket secured to the rear part of the said plate, a harvesting-sawsupported by the said bracket, driving mechanism for the said sawprovided with an operating shaft also supported by the said bracket, adriving shaft journaled in bearings secured to the said frame, and ashaft provided with a universal coupling at each end and connecting thetwo said shafts and permitting the said saw and its said drivingmechanism to move up and down.

7. In a corn-harvester, the combination, with a frame, of a pair ofsnapper-rolls journaled in the said frame and arranged in a forwardlyand downwardly inclined position, feeding devices for introducing theplants between the front end portions of the said snapper-rolls, drivingdevices for operating the said rolls, and a revoluble shaft providedwith a series of saws for cutting up the leaves and stalks, said shaftbeing ournaled below the said snapper-rolls.

8. In a corn-harvester, the combination, with a frame, andguiding-devices arranged at the front part of the frame and forming anentrance passage for the plants; of a plate having its front end portionpivoted to the said frame and arranged below the said passage andprovided with an opening or notch, a harvester-saw supported by the saidplate and arranged across the rear end portion of the said opening, aspring supporting the rear end portion of the said plate and permittingit and the saw to move up and down, driving devices for the saw carriedby the said plate, a driving-shaft journalecl in the said frame, and anintermediate shaft provided with universal couplings and operativelyconnecting the said shaft with the said driving mechanism.

9. In a corn-harvester, the combination, with a frame, of two spiralconveyers arranged side by side and ournaled in the said frame,

one of the said conveyers being longer than the other and extendingrearwardly of it, a conveyer worm journaled in the said frame to oneside of and below the rear end portion of the longer spiral conveyer, aharvester-saw arranged under the said conveyer worm a pair ofsnapper-rolls journaled in the said frame and arranged between the saidworm In testimony whereof we affix our signatures, in presence of twowitnesses.

THOMAS H. BUTLER. FRANCIS M. WIDERMAN. ."Vitnesses to the signature ofT. H. Butler:

MARY A. MAGRAW, VVILBUR F. SMITH. Witnesses to the signature of Francis11.

and the rear end portion of the longer spiral Nidernian:

oonveyer, and driving devices for revolvlng the said conveyers, worm,saw and rolls.

JOHN A. SHIELDS, BENJ. A. KnLLooe.

